The Box
by Silver345
Summary: What really happens to your Pokemon when you don't use them! A Swinub discovers the true horror of the Box system. Edit: The story of Pokemon in a game cartridge from multiple sides. This is my first story, wow, exciting! Enjoy and review so I know how I'm doing! (Also includes Wailord, Swellow, Mightyena, and Manectric but not as super important parts of the story)
1. Box 8

**I do not own Pokemon or anything from it! Enjoy!**

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><p>Swinub played with some of his friends in the woods. Where had Psyduck gone? Their game of hide and go seek was getting intense with Psyduck still missing for so long and ignoring their calls. Swinub was proud to know that he had been the last one found before Psyduck; he had used Dig and buried himself under a Pecha bush, only found because Rattata had gotten hungry and fallen into his tunnel. Jigglypuff floated into the clearing where her confused friends eagerly searched for Psyduck, humming all the way.<p>

"Hello there! What are you all doing?" Jigglypuff asked.

"We're playing hide and go seek! You can join the next round, we just have to find Psyduck before we start again!" Rattata answered enthusiastically.

Jigglypuff looked confused.

"But… I was just at Psyduck's house… he said he finished playing hide and go seek and went home for lunch. We played board games for the last hour!" Jigglypuff said, a bit distressed.

"Oh… she must have forgotten we were in the middle of a game again like last time…" Rattata muttered, "Okay then, we can start the next round! Swinub, you're it!"

"Sorry, but I think its time for me to go home, my mom wants me to do chores. I'll see you later though!" Swinub trotted away, running into the tall grass that had grown across the human path.

He looked to his left and saw that the path traveled on to become civilized land; a town. Looking to his left, the Swinub was startled to see a trainer, fast approaching on a bicycle. Panicked, he tried to run across the path, but he wasn't fast enough and tackled the side of the bicycle head on. The trainer let out a muffled yell of shock as he toppled to the ground, but quickly got up as if he were used to this kind of abrupt stop.

"A Swinub? I think I need that one for the 'dex…" said the trainer, who appeared to be tapping a handheld piece of technology ferociously. "Come on… load load load…"

Swinub quickly became uncomfortable watching the trainer struggle. He had hoped to apologize in some way for knocking the trainer down, but it seemed that the adolescent was busy. He muttered an apology and tried to sneak away. At that moment, the trainer looked up.

"Oh no you don't! Crobat go!" the trainer exclaimed, throwing a Pokeball. A massive Crobat launched out of the Pokeball, flapping its wings rapidly to stay in the air. "Use Mean Look!" the trainer instructed. The Crobat complied leaving Swinub paralyzed with an uncanny will to fight, rather than flee.

Afraid of the power the trainer and his high leveled Pokemon seemed to have over him, Swinub let out a halfhearted Growl, hoping it might scare them off. This only seemed to amuse the trainer.

"Nice! No damage loss! Alright, Pokeball go!" he threw an empty Pokeball. In horror, Swinub stood, glued to the spot, unaware of what was happening.

It was a strange feeling, being absorbed into a pokeball. At first he was aware of no new feeling, but he quickly began to feel like he was floating. The scenery of the forest and the pathway that had been so vivid began to fade and he looked down to see what was happening to the ground. It was unnerving, looking down and seeing that you had no feet, despite the fact that he knew they were there. He could still feel the texture of the grass beneath him. In front of Swinub, was the Pokeball; it appeared to be suspended in time. As he drew closer to the Pokeball, Swinub could see the mirrors on the inside of the Pokeball and was shocked to see that all he was at the time was an orb of red light. The Pokeball closed behind him and a new scenery began to take the place of the old: a new forest.

"Welcome to Box 8," a voice said behind him. He turned around, relieved to notice that his body had returned as he caught sight of his stubby tail. In front of him, a small group of Pokemon stood with a chubby Bibarel at the front.

"Nice to have a new addition to the box, I'm Bibarel. But Trainer Wes has nicknamed me Derp," the Bibarel said, holding out a paw to shake. Disoriented by all the sudden turns that his life had taken, Swinub took the paw cautiously.

"What… what happened to me? Where is this?" Swinub asked. Derp motioned to the habitat surrounding him: a forest.

"This, my friend, is Box 8. It's where Pokemon go when they're caught. Most of us will spend the rest of our lives here, as data in a hospital computer," Derp answered.

"What does that even mean?" Swinub asked, unable to grasp all of what he had gone through. It was all foreign to him, it had never happened to him before… or had it? He still had no real memory of his past so it was impossible to know.

"Well, Trainer Wes usually captures Pokemon in Pokeballs for the purpose of completing his Pokedex or battling. Many of my friends here were caught merely for the purpose of completing the Pokedex of Trainer Wes, but a few of us have other uses," Derp cleared his throat and continued. "I for example, am what they would call an HM slave. I know Cut, Waterfall, Surf and Strength and therefore am allowed to offer assistance to Trainer Wes when he needs to conquer obstacles that his usual party cannot. The rest made me their leader for this prestigious position."

"So, I was captured? And now I'm supposed to stay here?" asked Swinub indignantly. He was NOT going to spend the rest of his life in a box. That was no way to live. "Does anything even happen in here?!"

"Well, sometimes Pokemon are moved to different boxes…" Derp replied, uncomfortable with the obvious distain to his lifestyle.

"I used to be in Box 4!" piped in a small Hoppip. "Except it was more like a funny city; there weren't any people in it."

"Yes, moving boxes can be exciting… and sometimes one of the main party is put in the same box as us, like when Trainer Wes is using my superior HM services! He has to leave one of his favorite six in here while I do everything they can't!" Derp pushed out his chest in pride. "I've never actually been here for that, because, well, I'm out in the field of course, but I'm sure its quite an elating occasion."

Swinub was beginning to find Derp annoying. He had probably been stuck in this "Box 8" for too long and it had scrambled his brain.

"Oh yes, actually, is is!" a Snover exclaimed, "Those Pokemon have amazing stories from outside and they're so strong! Usually we see Aggron because he doesn't know any HMs and he always tells about everything! Did you know that Trainer Wes has seven whole badges?! One more and he's going to take on the Pokemon League!" the Snover squealed with excitement.

Swinub guessed that was probably the only kind of excitement that these Pokemon ever got, judging by the way they all murmured about this Aggron and when he might come next.

"Well, I'd love to stay, but I just plan to do so much more than sit around in a musty old box living only for the day that some Aggron comes to give me the news… so how do I get out?" Swinub looked around the now silent group that stared at him. "What? What did I say?"

"Well… you can't leave… you see, Trainer Wes now OWNS you, so all you can do, is hope that you find favor in his eyes and are allowed to leave…" Derp said, sadly. He put his paw on Swinub's shoulder. "We all started like you, but now we've come to accept it."

"I don't know that I can… I was born free, I can't just forget it all!" Swinub protested.

"Acceptance will come, don't worry about it, you will acquire it over time," Derp assured, putting on a brave face. He patted Swinub's back once more and then he walked away with the group following him, leaving a dumbfounded Swinub in their wake.

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><p>Thanks for reading this! Please review and tell me if I should continue! I can't decide if I should just leave it how it is with a weird ending or if I should continue with Swinub's dilemma so reviews are appreciated. No hate please! It's only my first story. Happy reading! ^_^<p> 


	2. Aggron's Words

**I don't own Pokemon or anything in it**

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><p>The saddest part of being trapped is that, after a while, you forget the freedom you once had no matter what you told yourself at the beginning. Eventually, you give up on circumstances you have no control over and accept what you know as the present. This was what happened to Swinub.<p>

Back in Box 8, Pokemon came and went. Once in a while, new Pokemon would drop in after being caught, all with the same hope for escape as Swinub had. But after the first few months where the game cartridge wasn't even touched when Trainer Wes had been grounded, Swinub began to realize the dream for freedom was untouchable. He began receding farther into the Box's corners and becoming less social.

Every once in a while, something new would happen that caused a ripple in the stagnant lives of the Box 8 residents. Often, new members would drop in and Swinub was now part of the horde that followed Derp when the new Pokemon was welcomed, however, he tended to cling to the back. Part of him was unable to let go of his freedom and he would not encourage other newcomers to forget their pasts like the more accepting Pokemon in the front of the group would.

On a less common note, Derp would be taken out of the box to occupy the sixth spot on Trainer Wes' team in place of the mighty Aggron to use his HM skills to get through a cave or something. Aggron was a strong Pokemon, but Trainer Wes wanted to teach him more battle-useful moves rather than obstacle clearing moves. This often left him in Box 8, exchanged with Derp, waiting for the next big battle. But unlike Swinub, he did not find this demeaning, he rather took his breaks with a smile on his face.

"I know Wes still needs me, I'm just not as good at some things as other Pokemon. If I were his only Pokemon… well, lets just say I've been saved plenty of times by my teammates and even random Pokemon that Wes puts on the team to train," Aggron had last said with a grin. At his last visit, he had given them the news that Trainer Wes had just beaten the final gym. He was taking time to train, explore and catch some Pokemon he had missed on his journey before he decided to challenge the Pokemon League. "Next time I'm here, Wes should be at Victory Road! He'll need Derp to get him through the obstacles of that massive labyrinth. Ooh, I wish I were there, I've heard that only the toughest wild Pokemon live there… I've wanted to battle them since I was an Aron. Oh well, let another Pokemon have some time in the spotlight am I right?" Aggron chuckled.

But that had been a while ago. The in game clock told them that it had only been a week, but for a captured Pokemon in a box only big enough to comfortably house thirty Pokemon, life dragged on with excruciating slowness. Swinub had found a corner of his own where he was secluded from most of the other Pokemon, spending his time meditating and thinking about random things that young Pokemon contemplate. If Arceus is God, how can he be captured and why is he stored by Trainer Wes in Box 1? If a mere trainer can catch him, what does that mean for the world? Why do water type Pokemon that you find in the ocean need CDs to learn how to Surf and Dive? Such questions circulated through Swinub's mind ceaselessly. Then, one day a long time later, Aggron returned to Box 8.

"Yup, Wes got to the Pokemon Center right before Victory Road! I'm proud, but I can't wait to get back out there and kick some Elite Four butt!" He laughed heartily with the Pokemon listening around him. "Alright, well, it's getting late. The game clock says its already one o'clock in the morning, you all should turn in for the night. I happen to know that when Wes beats the Pokemon League, this Box is full of Pokemon he wants to train for battle and Pokedex purposes, so you all could be getting some good time in the sun!"

There were gasps of delight from the Pokemon surrounding the battle hero. Swinub was shocked. Not only getting out of the Box, but being battle trained as well? That would be a dream come true! He stood there in stunned silence as the rest of the Pokemon began retreating to their dens, chattering excitedly with their friends about the possibility of battle. Soon he was one of the only ones in the clearing, looking in awe at Aggron. The Pokemon was huge, with perfect IVs in both Attack and Defense. He had powerful attacks to wield, no wimpy Growl or Tackle like Swinub had. No, Aggron had Hyper Beam and Iron Head, with Earthquake as well. And to crown it all, he had Giga Impact as a final attack to take out any foes who were almost done for. Aggron was the epitome of tough, and he was the only main team member Swinub had met.

He had heard fables from Aggron's past visits about the speed and skill of Lady Swellow, the cool collected form of Manectric, and the jolly strength of Wailord. Trickster Mightyena he had also heard about, but not so much for his strength as for his tricks of deception. But then, there was the starter. She was a legend in all the Boxes, even Box 1 where the caught legendaries themselves were stored. She had single-handedly taken on the great Kyogre and it had been captured. She had finished off Team Aqua once and for all, and was now leading the team through Victory Road. Ivy the Sceptile was the only main team member with a nickname and she deserved it. She was the strongest Pokemon he had ever heard of. Swinub wanted that, the legacy, the strength. And soon, he may get his chance.

Aggron noticed that the young Swinub was the last Pokemon in the clearing with him. The young Pokemon was staring at him with absent wonder. "Hey, kiddo, you awake?" Aggron waved his hand in front of Swinub's face to rouse him from his dazed thoughts.

"Huh, oh, yeah! Thanks, I just… you guys are all so cool! I want to be as tough as you guys on the main team!" Swinub exclaimed with excitement.

Aggron chuckled. "I hope you become that, Piloswine is your final evolution, yes? Oh wait, no, theres another one… ah, well, its probably in the National Pokedex… well anyway, Piloswine is a powerful form, and theres even one further after that. I can't imagine what a little Swinub like you can become with some training!" He patted Swinub on the back.

"Wow, really?!" Swinub hopped up with anticipation, "I could be even as strong as you are?"

"Sure you can, I'm only level 67, you can easily beat that! Why, I wouldn't be surprised if you took my place some day. Lets see, you're already level 24, right? Well, you're already a third of the way there and you've been sitting in a Box since you've been caught! You, my friend, like any other Pokemon, have limitless potential." Aggron ruffled Swinub's fur and began strolling off to a big thick tree in the clearing. "I'm going to turn in for the night, kiddo. Promise me you won't forget that you have potential, no matter what anyone tells you, ok?" He sat with his back against the tree.

"I never will, sir! Thank you for the talk!" Swinub hurried off to his den, pondering the new inspiration he had received.

Aggron watched him go and then settled against the tree, "Huh, just like I was…" He closed his eyes, dreaming of the days when he was Aron, fighting back to back with Ivy when she was a Grovyle. She had given him inspiration similar to what he had told Swinub. Who knows? Maybe Swinub would grow up to be like him? Aggron smiled. _Huh, inspiring young Pokemon, never expected I__'__d be doing that too much._ Quickly, a wave of exhaustion came over him and Aggron fell asleep.

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><p><strong>So Swinub could get to be a battler! Woooo! Aggron turns out to be a really cool Pokemon, and from what he said, could Ivy like that too? Nice! This story became based in Hoenn to celebrate ORAS and all that, so the main team is now comprised of a mixture of Pokemon from my awesome new team in Alpha Sapphire and my beloved old Pokemon in Emerald! I hope you enjoyed it so far!<strong>


	3. Abandoned

**I don't own Pokemon**

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><p>Lots of time had passed since Aggron had last left Box 8. LOTS of time. Trainer Wes had gotten a new game and since them he spent all his time playing it. Through the 3ds outward camera, the Pokemon could see that this game was a fighting game of sorts, but it looked like a nightmare. It was a free for all in this game, they didn't take turns. Swinub couldn't decide whether or not this new game was a Pokemon game or not, they could see that Pikachu, Charizard, Lucario, Greninja and even Jigglypuff were in it, and once in a while, a Pokeball was thrown and another Pokemon joined the fight for a short time. However, there seemed to be other fighters who were definitely no Pokemon they had ever seen. Many of them were people; odd, cartoon people, but people nonetheless. There were many sword fighters, magicians and people who used hand to hand combat. A woman dressed in a frilly pink dress, a fox with clothes and advanced weaponry, a boy dressed all in green with a sword and a shield, a small space man, and a man dressed in overalls and red were only a few of these fighters alien to the world that the Pokemon knew.<p>

The Pokemon could not believe that they were being passed up for this brutal game where they did not take turns like their orderly world in Hoenn. And who were those foreign characters that battled against as well as alongside Pokemon in the new game? Pokemon was orderly and had a beautiful story plot, how could this game out rank them in the eyes of Trainer Wes?

Swinub fell into a new kind of depression as he contemplated this new obstacle. Aggron had promised him at least a short reign of freedom when the Pokemon League was conquered, but no one except the main party even knew if the League had been beaten yet. There was a tension of confusion and ignorance in the air that was almost palpable. The anticipation of Aggron's promise had since died down as Trainer Wes' return was awaited.

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><p>"Okay, so she hasn't come out of her room since a week ago. This is obviously a problem…" Manectric stated as he shifted uncomfortably on his chair, which had become charged with electricity because of his static. The small size of the central room in the main party area was starting to get to him.<p>

"Of course it's a problem stupid! We can't have our leader in a funk like this when we haven't even conquered the Pokemon League! And… Stop fidgeting, its making me nervous…" Mightyena growled with only the hint of a whine in his voice.

The main party box was not roomy. It was made to cozily house six Pokemon, though often only five were within, but after long periods of time it became difficult to enjoy. The setup was much like the transition tunnels between routes and cities, which were meant to keep wild Pokemon from over running the cities, or so they had been told by a transfer from Johto who had traveled alongside Trainer Wes outside of the Pokeball. The compartment was sparse, with small areas designated for each Pokemon and a central room in between. Each Pokemon was sized down in this compartment so that everyone could fit efficiently. For example, Wailord had been shrunk down to a tenth of his normal size so that he could live and socialize comfortably in the compartment. However, even though this setting was made for the ideal life of a traveling Pokemon, it got old quickly.

"Well rather than just gripe about our problems, acting upon them would be much more effective," Wailord settled himself on the edge of a sturdy table, the affects of the main party compartment allowing him to float his shrunk form around so that he was unhindered.

"Well said, Wailord" Aggron interjected, "I couldn't have said it better myself. But the real question is, does anyone have any ideas about what what we should do about it?"

Lady Swellow looked up from preening her feathers and looked at each one of them in turn, "I think it would be best if someone simply talked to her. Sometimes thats all a girl needs when she's feeling down. But only one of us, she will feel threatened if we all go to her at once." She went back to grooming herself.

"Thats as good an idea as any. I don't think I should do it though, its no secret that I can't talk to people, you know, effectively…" Manectric said, chuckling to himself.

"I vote Aggron!" Mightyena exclaimed, shooting his paw up into the air.

Aggron visibly jumped in his seat and looked at Mightyena nervously. "W-wait! Why me?" He started fidgeting in his seat.

"Well, we all know that even though you're not her oldest friend, you two have developed some kind of 'connection' if you will." Swellow reasoned. "I think it would be most beneficial to everyone if you would go talk to her."

"Yeah! 'Connection'!" Mightyena sneered, jabbing Aggron and winking.

Aggron glared at Mightyena and swatted him with his arm. "Stop it, and I think you're misunderstanding our 'connection' as you call it," he said mockingly.

"What is there to misunderstand? You guys are vibrating on the same wavelength, so to speak. I mean, haven't you noticed that in double battles, you two seem to know the other's next move before you know yourself? I don't get how you can ignore that." Manectric shook his head incredulously.

"Aggron. Be reasonable. You and I both know that you have your own problems to deal with, without needing to worry about those of others. But I also know that you understand how much Ivy needs this and that you would do anything to help her," Wailord floated over to Aggron's defeated form and lay a fin on his shoulder. "Do this for Ivy, yourself, and all of us."

Aggron looked up and gave a half grin, half grimace. "Fine, I'll talk to her."

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><p>"Hey. How're you doing Ivy?" Aggron settled next to the powerful Sceptile in the corner room of the main party box after passing through the doorway with difficulty, as it was formed to fit the thinner frame of Ivy.<p>

"Yeah, I guess I'm fine…" Ivy shifted, turning her back to Aggron a bit.

"Liar," Aggron smacked her shoulder. "We know you better than this, we've pretty much all grown up together! We all know that you aren't okay." Ivy turned around to face Aggron. He had a gruff expression on his face, but she could see the concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really one for talking about myself freely," She looked down, tearing up a bit. _Wes has been there since forever, how could he just abandon me like this for so long?! He's left for a few weeks or so, but… never this long… doesn't he still care?_

"Uh… Earth to Ivy… hello?" Aggron crouched down so that he was looking up into Ivy's face, waving his hand in front of her eyes. "You still here?"

She blinked and looked him in the eye. "Yeah, I'm here." The two sat there uncertainly in silence for a bit. Aggron nervously looked over at Ivy and cautiously put his arm around her shoulders. She looked at him and smiled, leaning against him. Aggron gritted his teeth nervously but remained where he was.

"Aggron?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you. I'm glad you're still here, you're like a brother to me, I would hate to lose that," Ivy said, closing her eyes and letting her tears of rejection fall freely.

Aggron tensed up slightly and looked down at Ivy sharply. Her eyes were closed. He turned his head back to its original position sadly and he began to tear up a little as well.

"Yeah… no problem…"

They stayed where they were on the edge of Ivy's bed until she fell asleep, and then Aggron set her down on the bed softly and tucked her in for the night. He left the room pausing at the door to look back with a pained look and then continued out to his own quarters.

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><p><strong>Woo! I ended up doing chapter 3 today as well! Okay, so I was referencing Super Smash Bros 4 for Wii U in the first part, just to avoid as much confusion as possible (Sadly I don't own that either) I got tired of telling the story just from a grumpy little Swinub's perspective, and we have to realize that main party Pokemon have problems too, so viola! Haha, maybe this will start up a group of People for the Ethical Treatment of Pokemon? (PETP sadly doesn't have the same ring to it as PETA XD)<strong>

**Did you all catch that little bit at the end with Aggron and Ivy? H-hey? whats up with that there? Eh? Eh? Just throwing that out there ;)**

**Anyways, hope you're enjoying this so far, thanks for sticking with this story! ^_^ I have ideas for AT LEAST 2 more chapters, so see you next time!**


	4. Waiting Game

**Sooo, kind of a short chapter, but I've somehow been super busy even though I'm on break... but enjoy!**

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><p>The Box Pokemon were used to being left for long periods of time, so they continued with their everyday lives. Swinub had secluded himself once again, this time, training himself in the moves he knew so that he would be ready to fight as soon as his time came to train for evolution so that Trainer Wes' Pokedex would be completed. He thought that if he became good enough, he could become a battle trained Pokemon. So, he worked diligently everyday, dreaming for his chance at the real world.<p>

The Pokemon were constantly watching the outward 3DS cam screen to see what was happening. Trainer Wes had been easing off of playing his newer game, he rarely played it now unless he had other trainers around. They recognized some of the trainers as from previous 3DS connections.

Most easily recognized was Trainer Ian, he had battled Trainer Wes numerous times and they had a sort of rivalry. It was entertaining to hear about the battles between Ian and Wes from Aggron and the Pokemon longed for the Trainers to pick up their 3DS' and battle for a match or two. However the two continued to play their savage fighting game and payed little attention to the Pokemon.

In the main party box, the tight area was beginning to get to them; Manectric and Wailord were affected by this long period of time in captivity. Wailord, given his usual large size, was unaccustomed to being indoors, and when he had first been caught he had been prone to panic attacks.

Manectric on the other hand, had some difficulty with his emotional stability ever since he had been left in the daycare with Trainer Wes' Ditto when an Ace Trainer had stated that his stats were quite extraordinary and that someone would pay a hefty sum for his offspring if he were to breed. Trainer Wes liked this idea and promptly placed Manectric in the daycare for a long period of time, in which time Trainer Wes worked to hatch dozens of Electrike eggs until there was a box full of imperfect but still well bred Electrikes and a handful of perfect ones put into a separate box. Ever since then, Manectric had an intense difficulty with putting aside his jittery, fearful emotions and was forever nervous in enclosed spaces whereas the daycare had been in the fresh air despite the fence surrounding them.

In other words, Manectric had been a basket case that needed consolation 24-7 and Wailord, the calm, collected member of the team, was becoming wired as well. Often, Lady Swellow would calm Wailord, and though she was the most motherly figure in the group, she was only able to console Manectric from a distance because she was particularly susceptible to the static shocks that radiated off of Manectric. Aggron would try to help Manectric closely because his primary steel and secondary rock typing made the static less affective on him. Everyone was hoping for a miracle: that Trainer Wes would come back.

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><p><strong>Everyone seems to be coping in their own ways huh? I decided to give a few other Pokemon the spotlight for now, you know, give them some love. Just because they aren't the main characters doesn't mean they aren't important, right? Alright, the next chapter should hopefully come soon, laterade!<strong>


	5. Return of the Trainer

Sorry for the irregular updates, I keep forgetting about this and you know, life happens and all that

I do not own Pokemon

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><p>After far too long, Trainer Wes' long anticipated return came. And with a fury, he and his team began powering through the Elite Four like his life depended on it. In half of a game clock day, he had demolished three of the four legendary trainers. The main party was in top form, as if Trainer Wes had never left.<p>

When he shut off the 3DS, the team felt better than ever before. Here they were, in the thick of the Elite Four with barely a scratch. Lady Swellow had been the only one to faint because of a lucky Critical Hit, but other than that a mere Super Potion was enough to bring the rest back up to perfect health. They relaxed in the main lounge area feeling thoroughly confident that with that kind of stop, Trainer Wes would surely be back the next day to finish off his quest to be Pokemon Master.

Ivy had her feet up on the center table, Mightyena sprawled out next to her, passed out with giddy exhaustion. He was usually the go to ender in big battles like those and he had been in and out of the Pokeball all day. Aggron sat comfortably on the edge of the large recliner at the front of the room recounting his battle stories to Wailord, who, though he was probably bored having been there to witness these feats already, was listening with rapt attention as one would to a child telling you something before being able to speak clearly. Manectric, having released all of his pent up tension with pure electricity in his battles, was lying on the ottoman with a grin on his face and his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Lady Swellow was gleefully marking up the white board in the room with the stat increases from the recent level ups, making notes on the efficiency and health percentage of all the members. She also began making notes on the strategies that each member could use work on.

"I believe that it is only logical that Trainer Wes will be back first thing tomorrow," Lady Swellow cooed. "The game clock says that it is approximately 16:38, military time of course, on a Thursday. And factoring in the amount of times Trainer Wes has changed the game clock… it looks like the life time would really be 11:38 PM on Friday."

Ivy turned her gaze over to Lady Swellow, not changing her relaxed posture with her arms behind her head and her feet up on the table, "So, what?" She was seemingly exuding a laid-back, soothing energy ever since her faith in Trainer Wes had been restored.

Lady Swellow cleared her throat and turned to Ivy, "What I mean, is that the mere fact that he stopped game play where he did, that he even picked up his 3DS at all really, is a sign that he will probably come back quite soon. With tomorrow being Saturday, the next time is almost definitely tomorrow." She turned back to the board. "I'm almost positive, if I'm wrong, I will stop pestering you all about your statistics."

A weak cheer of joy rang out among the main party box dwellers. Aggron had finally given up on telling Wailord about his daring combo moves and moved to the couch next to Ivy, on the other side of the sleeping Mightyena. He leaned back and looked over at Ivy.

"Hey I told you everything would be fine didn't I?" Aggron winked as Ivy tilted her head towards him. "I mean, today we fought more and harder than ever before in our lives, and we're pretty much guaranteed another day! We all know that the Swells is never gonna lighten up on our stats and all that mess, so she'd only wager that if she was sure right?"

Ivy smirked, "Yeah you're right. Though I almost hope that she's wrong just to see the look on her face" She glanced at Lady Swellow who was hard at work on her notes and snickered.

"Haha, yeah! That'd be hilarious! Man, Pokemon battles are great, but what I wouldn't give to see that! She'd be like…" Aggron made a mock horrified face that contorted his face in ways that an Aggron, with their metal features, should not be able to make.

The two cracked each other up with their crazy faces for a while while Wailord, Manectric, and the newly awakened Mightyena looked on with amusement. Mightyena, none too pleased with being woken up to the poorly concealed laughter, snorted with disgust.

"Why can't they just let a poor soul sleep…" he groaned, resting his head on his paws.

"I think its rather sweet, actually." Wailord smiled warmly at the pair. "Its not often that Pokemon are able to be with the one they choose so this warms my heart."

"What do you mean, sir?" Manectric asked his head twitching as he turned.

"Well, most Pokemon are left in the computer Boxes, and that is a completely random process. That is actually the most reliable way for Pokemon to find one's love. However most are not put together…" Horrified images of Trainer Wes leaving Manectric in the Daycare flashed through his mind quickly. "Well… lets just say most aren't lucky enough."

Manectric tilted his head and raised his eyebrow, confused. However, he soon turned his attention back to Aggron and Ivy, who were now excitedly exchanging stories of their battles, though both already knew what had happened, they were both enthralled in the stories as if they were new. Manectric's head twitched a few more times and he stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth, a toothy grin appearing.

"Yes, I think I understand what you mean, sir," his attention returned to Wailord. "Don't worry, its okay. I'm okay."

"I thought you might." A Wailord gave him a pained smile. "You're a strong Pokemon, you know that?"

"I always try to be, sir."

The in-Box viewing screen flashed and turned to black as the 3DS was turned off. Slowly a cheer rose up among the members of Box 8. Everyone was overjoyed at the return of Trainer Wes and proud that the team had done so well. Derp moved up to the front of the group and waved his paws for silence; slowly the crowd complied.

"Now I know we're all excited, but I think we know what the end of the Elite Four means, don't we?"

There was a vast spread of murmuring in the group, many with confused faces and others with concerned countenances.

"No? Oh, of course not, silly me. I forgot that not everyone has met the Pokemon and been through the experiences that I have, I apologize. What I mean is, that there are only three possible outcomes for a Pokemon save file after the Trainer has defeated the Champion. One, they could immediately reset the save file, which is not particularly horrible, as we all are freed back to our original homes in that case. Two, Trainer Wes could attempt to complete the Pokedex or train all of us into fighting shape, which would be the most desirable. Or, number three…" Derp took a deep breath. "Or he could consider the game over and leave the game for months, years on end…"

At the last statement the whatever murmuring had been taking place went silent. Then, suddenly, the silence erupted into a roar of horror as the gravity of their situation.

"Quiet down! Quiet down, everyone!" Derp frantically waved his arms to get their attention. After much yelling the group got down into an uneasy silence. "Thank you. I needed to tell you this because it pertains to your future and you need to be ready. I didn't wish to alarm you all, and for that I apologize, but you needed to know. I just wanted to make sure you could be aware of what could happen, that is all." Derp walked from the front of the crowd with a bit less of the usual bounce in his step.

Swinub stood there in stunned silence. By now there was only one favorable result to this, being trained as a battler. At this point he would not be satisfied with merely leaving, nor would easy freedom be acceptable. He simply would not tolerate having been trapped in a box for a year without any compensation or reward. And sitting in this box for YEARS? No no, that was an abominable option that he would not stand for.

But he knew deep in his heart, that Trainer Wes could not possibly do that to them. He would train them, fight alongside them. He had a plan for each of them did he not? Aggron had seemed to think so. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

Swinub became determined from that moment to fight forever, even if he was only left in Box 8, he would train, even if it could never amount to anything.

* * *

><p>So how was that? We never thought we'd see Swinub or Derp again did we? Well there they are! Don't you worry, I have plans for pretty much all the characters I've introduced, until next time! Reviews always valued!<p> 


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